Dolly Parton Reveals She's 'Going to Have to Relearn' Some Things After Demise of Husband Carl Dean; Says She Feels at 'Peace'

Dolly Parton opens up about coping with the loss of her later husband, Carl Dean after being with him for 60 years.

Written by Apoorva Rastogi , Entertainment Journalist

Published on Mar 20, 2025 | 04:42 PM GMT | 4.1K

Dolly Parton (Getty Images)

Dolly Parton is opening up about how she's coping with the death of her partner of 60 years, Carl Dean. The singer announced the tragic news on March 4th, confirming the demise of her husband a day prior. Parton recently made a surprise appearance at the 40th opening ceremony of Dollywood.

At the event, she revealed how she was doing to Knox News, saying, "I'm doing better than I thought I would. I've been with him 60 years. So, I'm going to have to relearn some of the things that we've done. But I'll keep him always close."

The 79-year-old added that Carl Dean had "suffered a great deal," so she was happy that her husband was finally at peace but still missed him. "I'm at peace that he's at peace, but that don't keep me from missing him and loving him."

Jolene singer revealed a heartwarming habit about Dean. As per her, the 82-year-old would always buy his own tickets to Dollywood, to many people's amusement. She continued, "He used to come to the park; he bought his own ticket, stood in line, and got his ticket. He didn’t want somebody giving him a ticket ‘cause he was Dolly’s husband. Everybody thinks that’s the funniest thing."

The couple first met when Parton was just 18 years old in 1964, and by 1966 the love birds had tied the knot in secret. Since then the duo had been together for a whopping 60 years. Dolly revealed, "It's a hole in my heart, you know, but we'll fill that up with good stuff and he'll still always be with me."